A homeowners association’s primary purpose is to maintain the community. Staying on top of maintenance duties can be difficult, though, especially if you don’t know where to begin. This is why it’s always helpful to have an HOA community maintenance checklist. Even if you are an HOA Management company this list can be helpful to apply to your communities.
Complete Your HOA Community Maintenance Checklist
As time goes by, HOA communities experience wear and tear. To avoid rapid and significant deterioration, it’s important to maintain the community properly. This way, you can prevent property values from plummeting. It doesn’t even matter what size your HOA community is. A maintenance strategy is always a good thing to have, and that should include a thorough checklist.
A checklist not only helps you keep track of tasks, but it can also give you an idea of how much money you need to allocate for maintenance. Here are the items to include in your community maintenance checklist:
1. Exterior
The exterior appearance of your community matters a lot. In fact, it can affect your HOA’s curb appeal and have a significant impact on property values. Therefore, it’s essential to include all exterior surfaces and items in your checklist. Begin with the various buildings in your community before moving on to the individual houses. Make sure not to forget the following:
- Foundations
- Walls
- Exterior vents
- Windows
- Entryways
- Roofs
- Gutters
- Utility boxes
- Electric supply boxes
- Cable boxes
- Gas lines
- Water faucets
- Satellites
- Driveways
It’s a good idea to hire a maintenance company to take care of all these items. When performing your inspection, make sure to also examine which areas require cleaning, repairs, replacement, or general maintenance. See if any surfaces need repainting, too. Parkings lots, for instance, may benefit from a restriping service. Additionally, it’s wise to schedule pest control services to get rid of any ants, termites, cockroaches, and other pests.
Whilte it’s necessary to perform periodic maintenance, the weeks following winter is a crucial time as well. The cold weather and winter mix, after all, can deal some serious damage.
2. Interior
For interior maintenance, it’s imperative to examine all the screens, vents, and floorings. Don’t forget to include the plumbing system in your HOA community maintenance checklist, too. Water damage can be very hard to deal with, so it’s best to prevent it before it takes place.
This applies to all buildings within the HOA community. Of course, you don’t have time or resources to go to each house to perform inspections and maintenance work. Therefore, ask your residents to check all these areas and items themselves.
3. Common Areas
Common areas refer to shared areas in a community. When common areas look old and worn out, it can negatively influence curb appeal and, in turn, property values. See which parts of the community need repairs or replacements. They may also need a thorough cleaning, so invest in pressure washing or soft washing services.
Maintaining your common areas not only helps improve appeal, but it also ensures everyone’s safety. Some of the items to include in your common area checklist include:
- Lobbies
- Elevators
- Stairs
- Streets
- Sidewalks
- Walkways
- Decks
- Fences
- Gates
- Yards
- Parking lots
- Landscaping
- Security cameras
4. Community Amenities
Residents enjoy community amenities on a regular basis, so it’s equally important to keep them in tiptop shape. This includes pool areas, gyms or fitness centers, playgrounds, and clubhouses. For pools, see if any tiles require repairing or replacing. Handlebars and diving boards may also need attention. If you have a pool heater, make sure to schedule periodic maintenance for it as well.
Fitness centers and gyms usually see a lot of sweat and dirt. As such, intensive cleaning, including carpet pressure washing, may be necessary. Basketball and tennis courts with chipped or cracked floors should receive immediate repairs. See to it that all gym equipment is safe to use. The same goes for playgrounds. Any loose screws, pointed edges, or rusty surfaces can open your HOA up to lawsuits.
5. Utilities
Lastly, make room in your community maintenance checklist for utilities. This refers to the utilities in places where they apply, such as clubhouses and gyms. When inspecting utilities, don’t forget to include the following:
- Air conditioning units
- Condensers
- Furnaces
- Heating systems
- Hot water heaters
- Water lines
- Phone lines
- Gas lines
- Electric lines
These items are best left in the hands of a professional, so it’s best to hire a company to do it for you.
A Better and Safer Community
Although it’s an HOA’s function to conduct inspections and maintenance work, that alone shouldn’t serve as your sole motivation. Regular and preventive maintenance makes the community a safer place to live in. As such, resident safety should be an HOA’s major concern, too. With a complete community maintenance checklist, you’re well on your way to becoming a better HOA.